Joined: 09 Jul 2006Posts: 9718Location: I have to be somewhere? ::runs around frantically::

Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 5:27 pm Post subject:

I just took my first martial arts class since Thanksgiving. I made it all the way through class though I only did every other kick. It was a relaxed class with a forms focus (tournament coming up) but dammit I will not count that as a negative because it was my first class back in 6 fucking months. I stopped at one and that is good - I fee a bit tired and a tinsey bit sore but I. don't. hurt._________________Before God created Las he pondered on all the aspects a woman might have, he considered which ones would look good super-inflated and which ones to leave alone.
After much deliberation he gave her a giant comfort zone. - Michael

If your kids like LEGO, they will like Legoland. Even if they don't care about LEGO, they will probably like Legoland. Practically everything is either made of or made to look like it is made of LEGO bricks, and there are plenty of things to do, enough to occupy an entire day or more if you want to. This was our third trip there with our ten-year-old; we went when the boy was five and eight previously.

Legoland targets a young crowd with most of the park attractions, ages two to twelve. It's more calm, spacious and open than the frenetic Disneyland, which seems like every inch has been stuffed with something or other to purchase or ride on by comparison. If the weather is poor by SoCal standards, you can consider it your lucky day, since it will probably be quite tolerable by PNW standards and the locals will stay home, leaving the park less crowded. Mornings were overcast and wet both days we were there, and that translated into just two or three minute waits for most rides, even when it cleared up later.

You can find plenty of tame rides appropriate for ages three to seven, and a few medium rides older kids will enjoy, culminating in the Technics roller coaster that the boy thought was the best ride there. I preferred the Dragon, which didn't have as much annoying side-to-side action, but sadly didn't have any big drops, either. The youngest kids' rides are concentrated on your left as you enter the park, but there are plenty more scattered around in other areas, too. None of the rides or walk-through attractions are scary, unlike dark rides in Disneyland like Snow White's Scary Adventure that can truly put the fear into a preschooler.

There are several areas where you can build things or watch things being built. On the West side near the water park entrance, there's a "factory tour" where you can see LEGO bricks being printed and packaged, and a demonstration stage where master builders show how to build things like the sculptures of people you see in the park. There's another area for building race cars you can try out on a sloped track, and one full of Duplo for younger builders. For third-graders and up, they have LEGO Mindstorms challenge sessions, where you can program a robot for an obstacle course. You sign up for a time slot, then come back to participate. And there's a building on the East side of Miniland where sometimes if you're lucky, you can see some of the master builders working on various creations.

We skipped the water park, since it was a bit cool when we were there, and we went in the Sealife aquarium for an hour when it was actually raining. The aquarium is fun enough, with lots of different creatures on exhibit, a "petting zoo" where you can touch sea stars and moon snails, and an area where you walk in a tunnel inside a big tank and watch the rays and sharks cruise overhead, and sometimes divers feeding fish and cleaning the plexiglas. It's a nice enough aquarium, though some other area aquariums are better. It's handy as a place to entertain yourselves for a while if the rain comes in, but I'd say it's safe to skip on a sunny day. Access to the aquarium and to the water park cost a bit extra.

You can find tickets online for about 20% off the price at the door with a second day's admission for free, and some packages of LEGO include coupons that let a kid in free with a full-fare adult. If you only go for one day, the coupon makes more sense than the online discount._________________The reward for a good life is a good life.

dude! wish i'd known you were in the neighborhood. but it sounds like you managed to keep occupied.

Oh, yes. I thought of you once again while driving into La Jolla from Carlsbad where we stayed the first three nights, since I know you live and work around there, but we did in fact book ourselves pretty thoroughly with the boy's cousins and our various activities. My wife prefers more laid-back vacations, while I like having lots to do, so we alternate. This one was my style, packed with day-long theme parks and sight-seeing and beaches and getting wet. We'll be out on the Oregon coast in July for a vacation in her style, a leisurely few days of watching the surf from the deck of our rented house with occasional kite flying and s'mores making. It all works out._________________The reward for a good life is a good life.

Not sure how big of vacations you're planning, but if you ever find yourself in the North East, I'd suggest Hershey Park. There's the amusement park, but there's also an adjacent zoo, plus the yummy factory tour, which includes of course candy treats

If your in NYC, I remember going to the National Museum of History and Hayden Planetarium for the first time when I was like 6 or 7 and loved it (I've been there three more times from ages 10-23) and still loved it every time. Also, dad, who knows, who you might get to bump into:

Also, the Bronx Zoo is ridiculously huge, as in it takes a day by itself. Also there's the USS Intrepid which also houses the space shuttle Enterprise._________________...if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there.https://www.facebook.com/O.A.Drake/https://twitter.com/oadrake

I got some awful sunburn on my basement dwelling face, but it was worth it.

The Stormfront was crazy. 0 to 72mph in 2 seconds. Trying to keep a straight face for the photo was insanely difficult. Fahrenheit has a 10 story more than vertical drop, like it curved inwards on the way down, then the rest of the ride was twisty around loops and spins.

I was talking to a worker there and he was surprisingly knowledgeable about the rides, knew he name of the designers and random trivia. Apparently you don't need the safety harnesses on the Super Dooper Looper, the way it is designed centrifugal force is more than enough to keep you secure. I am not willing to test this though, but kudos to whoever does.

Joined: 13 Jul 2006Posts: 2200Location: On the sunny side of the street

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 5:00 pm Post subject:

Life has been pretty good for me. Work had to do some internal structuring, so that had one of the regular reporters heading over to a sister paper office while I took his place. That means more money, but we do not know how long it will last. Right now, I'm just happy that I'm getting more money.
The roses are in bloom, thanks to my care and love. I got lots of tomato plants that are growing like crazy, and one is already giving huge fruits.
I'm out of the Minecraft and into yarn again! I"m knitting up a storm and will finish loads of projects in the coming months.
Uhm...anything else? OH! I might be heading back to Chicago during the summer. Something about settling over there. Still, it's all up in the air. _________________WARNING: Microwave musclebear detection devices in use on these premises!